Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has come out in support of the Indian batting stalwart Rohit Sharma’s poor form in the ongoing three-match ODI series against England, which is currently levelled 1-1.
Speaking at the post-match press conference after India’s four-wicket defeat in the second ODI, Kotak insisted that the talismanic opening batter is not under pressure, backing him to get a big innings at Lord’s in the series decider on Sunday, July 19.
In the second ODI in Cardiff, Rohit could score only 26 runs off 43 balls before Will Jacks dismissed him attempting a sweep. In the first ODI, he amassed only 11 runs off 21 balls before Sam Curran dismissed him.
“I don’t think that a player as big as Rohit (Sharma) can feel any pressure. He’s too good a player to feel that. Yes, he didn’t get runs. I don’t think that makes any difference. Today, it also looked like he’ll probably get a good innings out. But that’s okay,” Kotak said in the post-match press conference.
“I have played a lot of cricket, and I have seen a lot of cricket. On a day, there are a lot of batters who don’t get the momentum they are looking for, and that can happen. You might see a completely different innings from Rohit Sharma at Lord’s. So, I wouldn’t use the word “struggling”. Maybe the shots he normally plays on the up, because of the double bounce, he probably felt they were not comfortable,” he added.
“Shubman (Gill) got a quick start, then Virat got a quick start, but Rohit probably didn’t get balls in his areas or didn’t get going. That’s what I felt. So I wouldn’t say he was struggling because you could definitely see a completely different innings from a player like Rohit. I have seen that happen to a lot of batters. So it’s not just Rohit. I wouldn’t use the word “struggling,” he noted.
Delving into the details of the second ODI, India was tasked to bat first and they managed to post only 233 runs in 44 overs. Virat Kohli (65) and Shreyas Iyer (66) were the top scorers. Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson scalped three wickets apiece.
In the chase, England finished off the proceedings in 44.1 overs with four wickets in hand. Joe Root was the wrecker-in-chief with his unbeaten 99-run knock off 133 balls. Gurnoor Brar’s two wickets went in vain for India.
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